Craig Daily Press, KRAI sponsor candidate forum

Local and state candidates jostling for Election Day votes will have the opportunity to address Moffat County voters during a candidate forum scheduled for two weeks before the Nov. 7 general election.

The Craig Daily Press and KRAI will sponsor the forum -- the second hosted by the two media outlets this political season -- at 6 p.m. Oct. 23 at Centennial Mall, 1111 W. Victory Way.

Daily Press publisher Bryce Jacobson and radio station owner/general manager Frank Hanel will moderate the forum.

Jacobson said the forum is an opportunity for local voters to hear from candidates firsthand and learn more about issues on the November election ballot, which includes three local questions and 14 state initiatives and referendums.

"With an election of this importance, we feel it's very important for voters to have a firm grasp on who the candidates are, their beliefs and their platforms on issues that affect our community, and our tax dollars," Jacobson said.

For those unable to attend the forum, the event will be broadcast live on KRAI and 55 Country, and will be reported in the Oct. 24 edition of the Daily Press.

In local races, voters will decide include a contested race for Moffat County sheriff, and uncontested races for the Moffat County commissioner District 3 seat, county clerk and recorder, county treasurer, county assessor and county coroner.

Three candidates are vying for the sheriff's position -- Tim Jantz, a sergeant with the Sheriff's Office, and winner of August's Republican primary, Vic Alton, a corporal with the Sheriff's Office and an Independent, and Don Kroese, a Craig resident and write-in candidate; as a write-in, Kroese's name will not appear on the ballot.

Jantz and Alton have agreed to appear during the candidate forum. Kroese has been invited to attend, but has not yet committed.

Tom Mathers, a former county commissioner and the lone candidate for the District 3 seat, has also been invited to speak at the forum.

Republican Scott Tipton, who is running for representative of the 110th U.S. Congress District 3 seat, has committed to the October candidate forum. Tipton is running against Democratic incumbent John Salazar.

Also slated to be available during the forum are committee representatives of mill-levy campaigns for Colorado Northwestern Community Col--lege and Craig Fire/Rescue. The representatives will be available to answer questions about their respective entities' tax proposals, but will not have a slated time to speak during the forum.

Gubernatorial candidates Bill Ritter, D-Denver, and Bob Beauprez, R-Arvada, both of whom have made campaign pit stops in Craig in recent months, were invited to attend but have not committed.

The format of the forum will include two-minute opening and closing statements. Questions posed by the moderators will be followed by one-minute answers.